General Hindi
What the section tests
General Hindi checks शुद्ध व्याकरण and usage: संधि, समास, उपसर्ग–प्रत्यय, वाक्य शुद्धि, मुहावरे–लोकोक्तियाँ, पर्यायवाची, विलोम, अनेकार्थी शब्द, अलंकार and रस. Questions are usually application-based: identify the type, correct the sentence, or choose the right meaning.
Core rules
- संधि: join sounds by the rule, then name it. स्वर संधि includes दीर्घ, गुण, वृद्धि, यण and अयादि.
- समास: identify the dominant word. In तत्पुरुष the second member is principal; in द्वंद्व both are joined by “और”; in बहुव्रीहि the meaning points to a third entity.
- उपसर्ग changes meaning before a root; प्रत्यय follows it.
- वाक्य शुद्धि: match gender, number, case and tense; avoid redundant words.
Worked example
विद्या + आलय = विद्यालय. Here आ + आ = आ, a दीर्घ संधि. By contrast, नर + इंद्र = नरेंद्र: अ + इ = ए, a गुण संधि. The reasoning is sound-based, not letter-based; write the two vowels, apply the rule, then label.
Traps
- Labelling every join as दीर्घ संधि without checking the vowel pair.
- Confusing तत्पुरुष and बहुव्रीहि when the first word is a qualifier.
- Taking a मुहावरा literally: “अंधे की लाठी” means sole support, not a stick.
- Missing gender in वाक्य शुद्धि: पुस्तक is feminine, so पढ़ लिया should be पढ़ ली.
- Mixing अलंकार (sound/meaning device) with रस (emotional effect).